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A federal judge on Friday blocked a major Trump administration initiative to expand fast-track deportations nationwide, ruling that the policy violates the constitutional rights of migrants who have lived in the United States for years.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of President Joe Biden, issued the ruling in Washington, siding with immigrant advocates who argued the administration’s January expansion of expedited removal exposed millions of non-citizens to deportation without due process.
The policy extended a decades-old fast-track system — historically used to quickly deport migrants caught near the southern border — to include anyone apprehended anywhere in the country who could not prove at least two years of continuous U.S. residency.
Cobb said the expansion unlawfully swept in migrants with deep ties to the United States. “That means that they have a weighty liberty interest in remaining here and therefore must be afforded due process under the Fifth Amendment,” she wrote. “Prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the Government to erroneously remove people via this truncated process.”
The judge described the government’s procedures as “skimpy,” noting they had not been adjusted to account for individuals who were not border crossers but had lived in U.S. communities for years.
DHS response and next steps
The Department of Homeland Security criticized the decision, accusing Cobb of ignoring Trump’s authority. “The President has a mandate to arrest and deport the worst of the worst,” a DHS spokesperson said.
The administration had asked Cobb to delay her ruling so officials could prepare an appeal, but she declined, leaving the injunction in place.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the plaintiffs through Make the Road New York, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Broader legal pushback
The ruling marks the second recent setback for Trump’s immigration agenda. Earlier this month, Cobb also blocked a separate plan to fast-track deportations of immigrants admitted under Biden’s humanitarian parole programs, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
The latest order represents a significant blow to Trump’s efforts to expand deportation powers beyond the border, intensifying a legal battle that could reach higher courts in the coming months.
